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Coleraine’s Aaron Traynor (left) Shamrock Rovers' Graham Burke (centre) and Linfield's Chris Shields. Presseye/Stephen Hamilton/INPHO
Disarray

Fixture farce with clubs in dark over dates for Unite the Union Champions Cup

‘I genuinely don’t know. We’ve no game. Our players are off now from Monday. We’ve heard nothing,’ Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley said.

THE SCHEDULE FOR the Unite the Union Champions Cup appears to be in disarray as there has still been no formal notice of a fixture date put forward for the clash between Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic.

Hoops boss Stephen Bradley confirmed that his first-team squad will be given a month’s holiday from Monday, while the Saints spend next week preparing for their FAI Cup final with Bohemians at Aviva Stadium on Sunday, 28 November.

The same venue is due to host the cross-border final the following Saturday, 4 December, with Irish League sides Linfield and Coleraine also still to play their semi-final.

Bradley confirmed that Rovers will fulfil the fixture if a late date is arranged and can be agreed with their Dublin rivals, but admitted it will be an inexperienced squad he will have to choose from as senior pros will not be recalled before their 20 December return for pre-season.

“I genuinely don’t know. We’ve no game. Our players are off now from Monday, because we’ve heard nothing regarding any game,” he said.

We’ve no problem putting a team out because we’ve a lot of good players at the club, but our last game is [Drogheda] tonight and we’ve heard zero regarding anything.

“We’ve heard nothing. For two hours yesterday we were going through everything, but we gave the players the dates and we’ve heard zero.

“We have to plan for what we know is a definite, which is the league starting back next year. We can’t plan for anything other than that. Like I said we’ve genuinely heard nothing.”

The FAI, meanwhile, added the following: “We are in discussions with Unite the Union and the IFA around the Unite The Union Cup and the changing COVID-19 situation and will update you when we have further information.”

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